How to train a child to use a car seat: advice for cars

For a modern mother, a car is no longer a luxury, but a means of necessity. Especially in Kiev and other megacities. Of course, you can limit your travel with your child to one area. Fortunately, now all shops and supermarkets are at hand. But you must admit how wonderful it is at any time to get into the car and go with the baby to the other end of the city. A meeting with a friend, an exhibition or a botanical garden - with a car you can choose any options for spending time without looking at public transport, sleep schedule and baby feeding regime. All these advantages of personal transport evaporate exactly at the moment when you have to put your child in a car seat. Even the calmest toddler can turn a pleasure trip into a real nightmare. To save your nerves, we have compiled a few simple rules and tips on how to accustom your child to a car seat.

Why is the child in the car seat naughty

Everyone knows that for transporting children in personal transport without a specially equipped place, a fine is threatened. However, this is not the main reason why the car seat should be a constant companion when traveling with your child. Even the most responsible driver is not immune from an accident on the road. And in this case the car seat will save the child from unnecessary injuries and even keep the theme alive. The German Insurers Association has collected the following statistics: over the 25 years of mandatory use of car seats in the country, the death rate of children in accidents has decreased by 75%, and the injury rate has decreased by 57%.

However, any arguments of reason are broken by the screams and indignations of the baby, who can scandalize and wriggle in the car seat all the way, bringing the mother to white heat. And for a start, it's worth figuring out why your child refuses to sit quietly in a place equipped in accordance with all the requirements of the law.

Reason 1. The baby in the car seat is unusual

Even if your child calmly allows himself to be fastened with belts to the highchair, this does not mean at all that there will be no problems with accustoming to a car seat. You should not expect that from the first time you will sit down and go to the village to see your grandmother 100 km from Kiev. The child will definitely rebel because of the natural fear of something new. Therefore, if you have just bought a car seat, or if you are planning to transplant the child from the bassinet into a more "adult" version, give your child the opportunity to get acquainted with the new device. Bring the car seat home and place it in the room. Let the child sit in it and get comfortable. It will be nice to play the driver and practice the skill of mandatory fastening.

Reason 2. The child is uncomfortable in the car seat

Adjust all elements of the car seat to make your child feel comfortable / istockphoto.com

A child car seat should be chosen not only by age, but also by the weight of the child. All babies are unique, and someone at the age of three may well fit the parameters of the five-year plan. Remember, children cannot tolerate discomfort. Your little one will definitely refuse to sit in a chair if the seat belt rubs him, presses the seat frame or legs go numb due to an uncomfortable position. The inconvenience can arise for another reason - if the child is too spacious in the chair. Then he will constantly turn in different directions and try to get out from under the belt.

If the car seat is chosen correctly, carefully adjust all its elements: check the tilt and level of the headrest, the position of the backrest, the tension of the seat belts. If you bought a chair with a "growth" margin, buy special earbuds or pads, as well as pads on the belts: they will make the child's fit tighter. If you see that the child is cramped in the car seat, urgently change it to an option that is more suitable for weight and age.

Reason 3. The child is not feeling well

It also happens: your little one has experience of riding in a car seat, and usually this does not cause displeasure or protest in him. However, one fine day he abruptly "goes into rejection" and scandals at the mere attempt to fasten his seat belts. It may well be that the child does not feel well: for example, he wants to sleep or eat. In this case, you need to try to create comfortable conditions for him on the trip. Sometimes it is enough to cover the window with a sun shade so that the child can doze off. By the way, curtains on car windows are another important attribute of trips with a baby. They often help out when the child needs to be put in the car.

A child may be naughty because he wants to sleep or is hungry / istockphoto.com

It is also worth having a small snack underneath - an apple, cookies, drinking yogurt, or any other food that your child likes. Some mothers are categorically against teaching the child to eat in the car. This is a personal choice for everyone, but sometimes snacks help out well, help distract and calm the child.

Reason 4. The child is offended and protests

Children are very subtle psychologists and excellent manipulators. They subconsciously choose the exact moment when their protests or tantrums will be most inappropriate. If you need to go somewhere, and at the same time you have a quarrel with your child, be prepared that he will categorically refuse to sit in the car seat. In this case, many mothers give up, take the child in their arms (if there is a driver) or allow him to ride in the seat (if they are driving themselves). This is a big mistake, because the child understands that there is an alternative and he can achieve his goal. No matter how you rush, take the time to talk to the brawler, calm him down and insist on your own.

Sometimes children refuse to ride in a car seat because they lack parental attention on the road. After all, the mother is focused and cannot properly respond to the baby. In this case, try to keep the child busy. It is clear that you will not have intimate conversations while driving. However, you can learn children's poems and songs - it is easy to repeat them automatically, without being distracted from the road. The kid can turn on audio fairy tales during the trip, and with an older child, compose a selection of favorite music tracks. As a last resort, you can turn on cartoons for children on the phone, but it is not advisable to take this as a rule and turn it into a habit.

When and how to accustom your child to the car seat

The first thing any training begins with is the personal example of parents. If you regularly forget to fasten your seatbelt while driving or only do it in front of checkpoints, do not expect obedience from your child. He sees your negligence in this matter and takes it for a dogma. Therefore, an immutable law must be introduced in the car: the car will not move from its place until at least the passenger remains fastened. Ideally, if the child is taught this rule from an early age, however, older children can also easily be taught this. The main thing is to show a little endurance. In all other respects, the advice of experienced automata is quite simple:

• Never give in to pity. If the child is literally hysterical, wriggling and screaming in the car seat, stop the car, get out of it, and only then unfasten the baby. Talk and calm him down, then buckle back and keep driving. This procedure may need to be repeated many times. And here it is very tempting to take the child in your arms (especially if you are a passenger yourself). You should not give in to him: this way you will only show the child that a car seat on the road is not at all necessary.

Don't give in to pity and don't pick up your baby / istockphoto.com

• Choose the best mode for your travels. This rule works with both infants and older children. Try to adjust your trips to the times when the child has already eaten and is usually asleep. So it will be much easier to "make friends" the baby with the car seat. Some mothers advise you to specially "take action" with your child before the road, so that he gets tired and falls asleep in the car faster. Just do not overdo it: an excess of emotions and overexcitement can backfire, and the child will start to be capricious.
• Choose the right clothes for your child. The car seat, of course, does not warm, but fits the child quite tightly. Therefore, children are often quite hot in it. Do not wrap your kid on a trip and take off his outer clothing. It is better to cover the child with a light blanket than to listen to tantrums due to the fact that he has evaporated. On the road, be sure to choose comfortable things: even an adult will not sit quietly in one place in tight jeans.

Do not wrap your baby, it can be hot in the car seat / istockphoto.com

• Start your acquaintance with short trips. It takes time for any child to become friends with a car seat. It's worth starting at home: bring a chair to the apartment and let the baby sit in it himself, put his toys there. At home, it is easier for a child to explain why this device is needed. The first trips in the car seat should be short, 10-15 minutes. You should not immediately go to the other end of the city. After each successful ride, praise and thank your child for being an obedient and responsible passenger.

Provide age-appropriate activities for your child to keep them busy on the go / istockphoto.com

• Come up with activities available on the road. Some children may spend hours staring out the window at passing cars. If this is not about your child, make sure that he is not bored on the road. Kids can sing songs, recite poems, or turn on audio stories. Older children should be offered to play chauffeur: a toy steering wheel helps the child to feel like the second driver of your car. You can give the driver his personal "rights" before the trip: print it on a printer and paste there a child's photo

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